📢 Contractual Leadership Hiring at Bank of Baroda: AIBOBOU Raises Red Flag 

By K. Srinivasarao

General Secretary, All India Bank of Baroda Officers’ Union (AIBOBOU) - Affiliated to AIBOA 

A public recruitment advertisement issued by Bank of Baroda invites applications for 12 senior leadership positions on a contractual basis — including Dy. CTO, Dy. CFO, Dy. CRO, Dy. CISO, and Head – Bulk Retail, among others. 

As the recognised Officers’ Union of Bank of Baroda, we register our strong and unequivocal protest to this sudden move to hire multiple departmental heads on contract. 

At first glance, it looks like a forward-looking, corporate recruitment exercise. But beneath the surface, it raises fundamental questions about the future of leadership, internal careers, and institutional character at Bank of Baroda — a public sector bank with 116 years of legacy. 

Why This Matters – Not Just Another Hiring Notice

Leadership posts such as Chief Risk Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, or Technology heads are not just technical positions — they define culture, continuity, and accountability for the entire institution.

For decades, Bank of Baroda has been led by officers who entered as probationers, rose through ranks, and carried the institution’s values and systems with them. Now, without warning or dialogue, the bank is looking outward for the very roles that shape its future.

At the same time, officers within the bank — from branches to zones — continue to work under heavy pressure, handling multiple portfolios and facing acute manpower shortages. The message being sent is clear:

Internal officers are good enough to run branches but not trusted enough to lead divisions.

This is unacceptable.

Key Questions That Must Be Answered

1. Why contractual hiring for sensitive leadership roles when qualified officers already exist?
   Many serving officers possess decades of domain knowledge, professional qualifications, and proven leadership in business and operations. When thousands of meritorious BOB officers have long served the bank with dedication, why is leadership being outsourced? 

2. What is happening to succession planning and internal career progression?
   For decades, this system has been the backbone of institutional stability in public sector banks.  What has happened to internal career progression, which has always been a foundational strength of this institution? 

3. Why was this decision taken without consulting recognised unions?
   Any change that affects officers’ future must involve dialogue. 

4. How does the bank justify outsourcing leadership while the base is overworked and understaffed?

Why are internal officers being overburdened at branches, while leadership openings are being offered externally?

We AIBOBOU - are not against progress. We are not against technology. We are not against expertise.

But we are firmly against bypassing internal talent, weakening career progression, and diluting the public-sector character of the institution.

WE STRONGLY BELIEVE, BOB’s identity and institutional legacy have been built over decades by officers groomed from within. Contractual leadership compromises accountability, continuity, and organisational memory.

We will oppose any attempt to:
❌ Undermine internal growth opportunities
❌ Bypass established promotion channels
❌ Dilute the character of a public sector institution by outsourcing key leadership roles

❌ Risk the Bank with frequent turnover and Policy Discontinuity

❌ Bypass established promotion channels

A bank is not just a company — it is a public institution built on continuity, culture, and trust. Such contractual leadership lacks of long-term accountability.

AIBOBOU Demands Immediate Corrective Action

We call upon the management of Bank of Baroda to:

✔ Review and reconsider the contractual hiring drive

✔ Share the rationale transparently with employees and unions

✔ Engage in meaningful dialogue with recognised unions

✔ Ensure internal career progression is not compromised

Officers of Bank of Baroda do not want shortcuts — they want fairness.
They are ready to shoulder responsibility — but want recognition.
They have served this institution with loyalty — and deserve a future in it.

The bank must remember: No institution can be strengthened by weakening its own people.

Our Commitment

AIBOBOU will oppose any unilateral step that threatens promotional avenues, leadership pipeline, or the character of this historic institution. We stand for:

• • Officer dignity

  • Transparency in decision-making

  • Preservation of internal growth

  • A banking leadership that emerges from those who built it

This issue is not just about recruitment. It is about the future of leadership in public sector banking.

We stand firm. We stand united. We will not allow careers to be sidelined.
— K. Srinivasarao
General Secretary, AIBOBOU

#AIBOBOU #AIBOA #BankofBaroda #StopContractualisation #InternalCareersMatter #OfficersUnity #TradeUnionVoice #ProtectBOB